There is a 70s f700 dump truck with a 10 foot bed about 15 miles away from me and the guy wants 850 for it. I can use the bed, but the truck is a piece of crap. He says it has a 351 and runs great. How can I tell if it is truly a 351? is there a way to tell from looking on the outside. What is a 351 worth? I know they made a Windsor and a Cleveland but I dont know if that makes a great difference.

 

If its a Cleveland it has squared off valve covers [ ] and a Windsor has valve covers that are longer on the bottom and shorter on top / \ and if the thermostat housing is located on the intake it is a windsor.

 

F700 would be the 351M, likely late 70's. Bellhousing bolts across the top would be over 7" to verify.

 

351 Windsor

351 Cleveland look at radiator hose placement


Look at the place where the valvecove attaches to the head see how it differs from the top picture.


I would only pay a couple to a few hundred for a windsor where as a cleveland is worth more just how much I do not know.

 

 

A Cleveland used to be more desirable but any more I think you can get a lot more parts for the Windsors, so more demand. Clevelands were the hot ticket from the factory.

 

The most obvious external difference is the engine valve covers. The 351W (Windsor) valve covers are attached with 6 bolts, straight front to rear, and narrow in width (similar to the 302 c.i. engine.)

FE Engines Have 5 valve cover bolts.

The 351C (Cleveland) valve covers are attached with 8 bolts, flat with 2 different planes, and wider in width.

The 351W engine has a radiator hose that attaches to the intake manifold, while the 351C attaches to the engine block.

There's one other possibilty WRT 351s - that it's a 351M which was the follow on to the 351 C. It is lower compression/power and was designed more with Pollution Control in mind. It has a weaker valve train than the Cleveland. For these reasons, the Modified engine is MUCH less desireable than the Cleveland Engine.

Cleveland Engines were built from 1969-1974. The 351 M (Modified) from 1977-1982. The FE engines were built between 1958 and 1976.

Starting in 1977, the Modified Engine replaced the FE series.

So, if the truck is a 1970-77 the engine is an FE series;
(332/352/360/361/390/391/406/410/427/428).

If the truck is a 1977 or later, the engine is a 351 Modified.

I may be wrong, but I'm 95% sure Cleveland Engines were not installed in the F-Series Trucks. If it's pre 77 (the year the Modified was introduced) it will be an FE - probably a 390.
Before the Windsor arrived, the first 351 cubic inch engine found in the Ford F-series was based on the Ford M-block, destroked from a 400 block to make 351 cubic inches. This motor was originally intended to replace the 390 big block (FE) in the 1977 model year, although it made quite a bit less power than the 390 (offering just 163hp). The 351M, as it was known, was the only 351 option until 1980, when the 351 Windsor was introduced.

So, if it's a 70s series truck with the original engine installation, it's not a 351 Windsor. It's a 351 M (Modified) (or an FE).

I hope that answered your question.

 

As Julie said

 

How come I can't delete my posts like we used to be able to do?

 

If you can use parts of the truck and it's a good deal to you, then go for it. But understand that Ford built heavy-duty truck engines on the 335 and 385 platforms, like they did with the FT engines (361 and 391) which looked a lot like the FE. In an F-700, it wouldn't surprise me that it has some kind of industrial engine that looks similar to the standard car/light truck engines we're used to. It may or may not be feasable for use in our applications.